Bridges
by swkaioshin
Summary: Sometimes we need others to help us find ourselves. Trickyshipping.


_Hello all! This is something I wrote a long time ago, when Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver came out. I meant for it to continue on, to be a longer story, but time did not allow that to happen, and I just recently found it sitting here on my computer. It makes well for a one shot, and it will continue on if I ever find some inspiration for it. But I feel it sounds too nice to sit here, waiting, any longer._

_This follows along the same 'ideas' of my story "Lifeline," if you have read it. It obviously does not revolve around the same characters, but the idea of putting Pokemon into a more adult setting is used as well. Lyra is a young adult, I'd put her in her early 20's. Lance? Older, but probably not that awfully far off from Lyra's age. As I've said before, I'm fascinated by the idea oof taking Pokemon out of the childish world it's in, where there is less 'everything works out in the end with smiles' and more a real world approach, that the characters have lives and actually think about them._

* * *

Bridges

* * *

Sometimes we need others to help us find ourselves.

* * *

Lyra was in love with nature, had been since she was a small girl. On the contrary, she was not a nature pursuer, who lives and breathes the outdoors, who fights for the rights of animals and the peace of the trees. That was all good and dandy and such, but it just wasn't her fight.

The natural scenery that the outdoor land creates is really what pulls at her heartstrings, something about its lack of artificial coloring and man-made illusions. Beauty occurs naturally in the trees, in the dense forest, in the rushing streams and rivers, over the grasslands and the mountains and rolling hills. Nothing had forced it here, nothing had placed it. It truly fascinated her.

She could not write, she could not paint, but she could admire it all, store it deep in her heart and mind. It may all become distorted and fuzzy over the years, but she would never forget it, never forget how it made her feel.

The rickety bridge she stands on can speak for that. Her heart envies that it gets to sit here, everyday, looking out over the distant Cerulean City and the rolling hills behind it for all eternity. Perhaps that's not a strong point, but her mind can only imagine how sparkling all those lights in all those houses are at night from here. Like twinkling stars in the distant sky.

She approaches the left side of the bridge, towards the coastal side of the land where the river flows out into the ocean. The bridge's railing is smooth and yet rough under her fingers. Her mind wonders how many hands have rested where her's do now, how many people have come and gone. Once this bridge was new, and painted a bright glittering gold. The old paint is fading and peeling in some places. Years ago it was glamorous and shining. But she can see more beauty in such wear and tear then in any shade of gold. Hands have caressed it smooth; have shared their life with the wood.

If this bridge could talk, it would have a million stories to tell. As she runs her hand over its surface, she silently wonders if her story has a place here too, now.

She didn't startle at his approach, didn't flinch when the large dragon creature landed next to her, the beams of the bridge creaking under its weight. In fact she rather took in a deep breath, inhaling the outdoor air slowly and relishing the scent it left in her nose.

_I knew you would come. Time could only tell when. But I knew you would._

"Mmmm Lance. It's been awhile, hasn't it?

She listened to the scuffle of his boots on the wooden boards, watched his gloved hands rest themselves upon the railing in the corner of her eye.

"Do you lose yourself out here, Lyra?"

"If you are referring to the track of days…minutes…seconds…I forgot about all that a long time ago."

"Careful with that."

She laughed lightly. She imagined the corners of his lips pulling upward into a grin. Or maybe more of a smirk. She always thought of him as more of a smirk kind of guy, but a gentle one at that.

"Still, its funny, meeting you here of all places."

"Yes, yes it is."

A slight breeze whipped up the air. It teased at her hair and felt cool against her skin. The sound of his cape flapping added to the rustling leaves whispering in the trees. It was like a deep hush with a dark secret.

"Enjoying Kanto?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "It's very beautiful here."

"More beautiful than Johto?"

"Oh no, I don't think I could say that. They're so different. And Johto is where I grew up; I could never compare it to any other land. There's so much I've left there, so much I've felt there…"

"Hm."

His stoic tone unnerved her. Of course, news reporters labeled him as an epic champion, the young girls called him dark and handsome. But was he really tall, dark, and mysterious? As she traced the lines of his face with her eyes, saw the way the sun shone down on his red hair, making it glisten like fire, like the flames burning in his eyes…she remembered the first time they met She personally had found out indeed that Lance was bursting with character from every inch of his body. His nature was very charismatic, fierce and jumpy. He was handsome perhaps, but not dark and mysterious.

"What brings you here, Lance?"

"I have business to attend to."

"Way out in Kanto? Goodness, you're going to give Dragonite a run for its money! Maybe you should start charging him a traveling fee!" Lyra leaned back on her heals to look over at the large dragon creature at his side, giving it a thumbs up. It smiled in return, emitting a soft happy noise.

Lance crossed his arms and snorted.

"Being an elite owns for no limitations on matters of business, let alone locations. Dragonite understands that, and you should know that, being in quite the same position yourself."

It was funny how one statement could change one's mood. Lyra was taken back by how cold he sounded. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I gave you a trick question, or a question period really." She replied sarcastically. "Just a nod of your head would have been more respectful or something."

"I apologize. Didn't mean to sound rude."

She retorted a "hmph" in return and promptly gave her attention away to the sky. _Perhaps I'm more hurt by the fact that you won't give me a straight answer._

His arms dropped to his sides with a huff. He was battling something inside himself, she could tell by they way his eyebrows were contorted, the torment in his eyes.

"What do you want, Lance?"

"I'm not sure." He said softly, almost a whisper. _As if he's talking to himself…_

"Uncertainty is not always a bad thing." He swore he saw a shimmering twinkle in her eye. He blinked for a second. _Fool._

"You think we should always question everything, including ourselves, constantly?"

"A person couldn't live that way. You'd go crazy if you had to ask yourself 'why' every time you decided to take action." She shook her head. "No, I think we should all question ourselves only when we are unsure. Sometimes we can find out a lot about ourselves that way. And about other people."

He was silent.

She sighed deeply. "You can't ignore everything, Lance."

"You want the truth?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Don't I always?" _And…?_

Lance gave a hefty sigh. His thin fingers were back on the railing, tapping them up and down. _And and and…?_

"I don't understand you, Lyra."

_Well that's…unexpected. _She cast him a questioning gaze, but he did not turn to her.

"You've spent all this time, journeying, wandering…" He cast a hand out towards the ocean, over the distant mountains. "You've assembled a great team, you've taught them how to function together and to overcome their weaknesses. You've battled the experienced of Johto and crushed them to the ground."

She watched his fingers curl into a fist and fall to the railing where they tightly gripped the peeling gold wood. "You've even managed to best me."

Here he turned to her. That fire was back, burning in his eyes. "What exactly are you doing?"

She frowned softly. "And what's that supposed to, you know, mean exactly?"

"Rumor has it that you are stepping down from champion and forfeiting your title."

Lyra had to close her eyes and swallow. This was to be expected for sure. She had known before she had made her decision. "That's now a fact, Lance."

"Why?" He turned to her now, locking his eyes into hers. She had to blink at the sharp expression on his face, the way his mouth was twisted in a taut line. It was not a look she found suitable for him. No, he was meant for flashing grins and bright eyes. _Why so serious?_

She didn't answer him right away.

And to his surprise, she turned away, bringing a hand to her mouth as she chuckled quietly. Lance raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

Her brown hair rustled on her shoulders as she shook her head. "Oh, it's just that…at one point I was the one asking so many questions, and now…"

"You were young then."

She turned back to him again. There was no smile on her face, but he could tell her eyes were still smiling, almost glittering in the sun.

"And I'm not now?"

"You've grown up Lyra, just as I have. Adults question adults all the time."

"And sometimes they don't know what they're asking for." She sighed, redirecting her eyes out to the sea. "Lance, have you ever sat by a stream, by a river, and watched the sun shine down on it on a humid day? Have you ever watched the leaves fall down from the tree branches and go drifting away? When I was a kid I used to watch them float past me, always wondered where those leaves went."

"Well that's an easy one. They flow down and away till they reach the ocean."

"But do they really ever stop? Do they ever stop drifting away, further and further across the ocean, across the sea, never knowing if they'll ever stop?"

"I suppose not. But then again, they're just leaves. They've always passed by me and kept going, and after that I watched the rest fall down or found something better to do."

Lance dug his hands into his pants pockets, bringing out a small piece of paper. With a slight flick of his fingers, he cast it out into the water below. Its drop was slow and steady, almost graceful as it floated downward until it finally touched the water.

"See?" He said quietly as they both watched the small white square float away. "I've put it there myself, and still it drifts on by."

"Right." She smiled slightly, a pensive look in her eye. "Things pass on by all the time, even when we do take that moment to watch them go."

Both became silent, giving the other to their thoughts, watching the white object until it passed way down stream, out towards the distant ocean. He cast his eyes out to the ocean as well, trying to place where her gaze was settled on. A boat was swiveling off the harbor way down the coast somewhere. A wild bird Pokémon was diving down to catch its meal.

"Lance, I don't want to be one of those leaves in the stream. I don't want to never know when this ends, where it stops."

"But things won't end here, Lyra."

"No, but…" She brought her fingers to her pursed lips in thought. "I want them to. I want to find my place and watch things go."

"I'm not quite sure I understand…"

"You know, I became a Pokémon trainer to learn the world. I was a graduate out of high school, unsure of what to do with my life. But I've seen, I've learned, and I understand who I am now."

_I've found my bridge and I'm going to cross it._

He didn't say anything. She took that as a sign to go on.

"After I finish this business in Kanto, I'm going back to school."

He blinked. "Really? Like…like a college?"

"Yeah. I think I'll be a teacher or something."

"But…but what about your Pokémon? All this time you've spent on them, _with _them…"

Lyra shrugged her shoulders. "I've had my fun, and so have they. They've worked harder than any person I've known, and they're tired. They deserve to rest now after all I've taken them through." She fingered a poke ball in her pocket. "Besides, they'll always be here with me. We may not be battling and such, but we'll still be a team even if it's on normal grounds."

Lance took a few seconds of pause. She could almost hear him thinking in that silence, hear his brain take in the information and just trying to come out with some kind of conclusion to all this. "You'd be a good teacher." He finally said, and she could tell that he meant it.

She smiled. "Thanks."

She swore she saw a light dusting of red on his cheeks. Lyra had to keep herself from doing the same in return.

Neither said anything for a long time after that.

"I'll miss you, you know."

Lyra was taken back by his comment, but something deep inside was rumbling with pleasure at his words. And something told her it was her heart. "Same here."

Dragonite began to nudge him gently with its snout. Lance nodded.

"Lyra, I must leave now."

"Time never stands still, does it?"

"If it did, I'd never hit play. It would always be on pause."

His eyes searched the ground for a few moments. Then suddenly he was grabbing her hands with his. Lyra's eyes were wide; his hands were warm against hers. _And quite soft, too. _

"Will you do something for me, Lyra?"

A number of things he'd done for her in the past began counting off in her head, particularly a memory of the great dragon master saving her from the band of notorious Rockets. _A great, tall figure towering over all…_ Yes, she'd do anything for him now. "Um…sure?"

His eyes darted around for a second; his hold on her hands slacked a bit. She saw his face settle in the direction of the city behind them. A light turned on in his eyes and his grip became firmer. _Confidence._

"I know Cerulean City well. There's a diner on the corner of 5th and 6th street. Can't miss it. Meet me there tonight, eleven o'clock."

Her lips parted but she couldn't find the courage to form words. She was frozen in place and could only innocently stare back. His hands squeezed hers softly. "Please?"

"Are you…are you asking me on a…a…" The look on his face answered the question for him, the one he didn't want to acknowledge quite yet. _Bu-bump. Bu-bump. _"R-r-right."

She couldn't read his eyes, but there was something there, something deep within them.

He gave a curt nod before releasing her hands. _Smile, you fool._ She watched silently as he hopped on his Dragonite before taking off towards the sky. Before he disappeared, she caught his eye as he turned to look back. They were soft with wonder.

It took her a few seconds before she realized her hands were still hovering in the air, and she let them slowly drop to her sides.

"Wow." She breathed aloud to no one. "Wow…" _Perhaps there's another bridge waiting to be crossed…_

* * *

Sometimes the unexpected is what we truly hoped for all along.


End file.
